Professor Mesmin Destin was named a senior fellow with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, joining a national effort to bridge the gap between what young people need to thrive and what high school currently delivers.
Scholars from Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy will address Indigenous futures, AI justice, climate, democracy, and the ongoing effort to improve education at the 2026 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
Ozivell Ecford, a learning sciences graduate student at Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy, has been selected for the 2026 Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, which recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement and excellence in doctoral education.
Mississippi spends less than half of what New Jersey does on education. Yet its fourth-graders perform better on standardized reading and math tests. Kirabo Jackson explains why.
Northwestern University professor Sally Nuamah has been selected as a 2026 Bellagio Center resident by the Rockefeller Foundation — a prestigious 26-day residency on the shores of Lake Como, Italy.
School of Education and Social Policy Dean Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy has been selected to deliver the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Distinguished Lecture, one of the signature events of the 2026 Annual Meeting.
Juniper Shelley once thought the “cool” research happened in windowless STEM labs, not in the social sciences. But after joining Professor Sally Nuamah’s lab, she realized research can also mean getting out into the world, talking to people, and exploring challenging questions.
The National Network of Research-Practice Partnerships in Education highlighted the impact of a School of Education and Social Policy initiative as part of its annual look at the work of members.
Stories from 2025 that highlight our community, research, and faculty excellence.
After we take in information — whether true or not — it’s nearly impossible to avoid using it, Northwestern University psychologist David Rapp explained during the “Science of Reading: The Podcast.”
A new Spencer Foundation report calls for a fresh approach to graduate education to better prepares researchers to improve schools and communities.
The School Education and Social Policy will continue its longstanding partnership with The Baxter Foundation to strengthen science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education across the Chicagoland area.
A new Northwestern University study shows that students who write in multiple languages can challenge English-centered norms in higher education and highlight often overlooked ways of learning.
Northwestern University’s Jen Munson has received a five-year, $815,789 CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation to design spaces that make math as enjoyable as recreational reading.
Professor David Uttal received three research grants from the National Science Foundation to advance the science of spatial thinking—an essential yet often overlooked skill that underpins success STEM.
California has not rebounded to pre-pandemic life expectancy, based on early data obtained from the state, according to new research published in the medical journal JAMA Open.
High school teachers bond over shared political beliefs, according to a new study by Melanie Muskin, a PhD candidate in human development and social policy.
Northwestern University’s Katarzyna (Kasia) Pomian Bogdanov, who just received her doctorate in learning sciences from the School of Education and Social Policy, received a 2025 Jhumki Basu Scholar Award from the National Association for Research in Science Teaching.
Undergraduate researchers examined everything from consumer behavior and supports for dyslexic students to whether Hawai’i is truly a paradise as part of their senior thesis research projects.
Seniors Lillian Fu, Mia Xia, and Adrienne Scheide were honored for their research at Northwestern University’s Undergraduate Research & Arts Expo, which celebrates the accomplishments and discoveries of undergraduates through poster presentations and curated student panel talks.
SESP senior Binhao Wu’s research looking at social identity and perception won Top Oral Presentation at the Chicago Area Undergraduate Research Symposium, one of the largest annual undergraduate research conferences in the country.
The Indian town of Pithoragarh is nestled in the hills beneath the towering and picturesque Himalayas. Decades ago, Gautam Bisht’s grandmother moved away from this region to seek a better education and more opportunities for her family.
Northwestern undergraduates wrestled with complex challenges in early childhood education before presenting policy recommendations to the Mayor's Office.
Professor Cynthia Coburn was one of nine Northwestern University faculty members elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.
Faculty, alumni and and students will showcase their research at the 2025 American Educational Research Association’s meeting in Denver.
The current anti-DEI movement relies on a decades-old playbook that frames equity programs and policy as a threat to the excellence of colleges, according to new research co-authored by Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy political scientist Quinn Mulroy.
Early exposure to civic education is essential to a functioning society, but it’s often taught too late in life or not at all, according to Matt Easterday, associate professor of learning sciences at Northwestern's School of Education and Social Policy.
Alumna Stefanie DeLuca (PhD02), a sociologist at Johns Hopkins University and one of the nation’s leading experts on housing mobility, vouchers, and policy will be joining Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research as its inaugural visiting scholar in May 2025.
Five faculty members from Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy were named to the 2025 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings for their work bringing research out of academic journals and into everyday lives.
Psychological scientist Claudia Haase and undergraduate research assistant Angela Zhong, a member of Haase’s Lifespan Development Lab, were honored during a recent Fletcher Awards ceremony at Northwestern University.
Northwestern University professor Emma Adam emphasized the fundamental importance of inclusion and belonging for young people’s emotional well-being and long-term health in an interview with Susan Corwith, director of the School of Education and Social Policy’s Center for Talent Development.
The size of a brain structure involved in memory and learning may play a key role in developing depression during the transition to adolescence, according to new Northwestern University research looking at the interaction between the hippocampus and social environments.
Disillusioned American teachers use the social media platform TikTok to portray the profession as fundamentally unsustainable, according to a new case study by Melanie Muskin, a graduate student at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy.
Frequent, in-person tutoring sessions combined with the strategic use of technology can reduce costs and help overcome pandemic-related learning loss, according to new research co-authored by Northwestern University’s Jonathan Guryan.
Black women will be listening closely to speakers at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, says Northwestern University scholar Sally Nuamah, who has explored their role in American politics.
Graduate student Julia de Oliveira Callegari received a 2024- 2025 Northwestern Cognitive Science Advanced Research Fellowship to support her work looking at the interplay between identity, culture, and learning in children.
Seven new PhDs were gifted regalia and honored during a special robing ceremony prior to the 2024 convocation celebration as part of a new School of Education and Social Policy tradition.
Faculty members and alumni co-authored a new National Academies' report on equity in science education, reflecting the School’s leadership in the field of learning sciences and STEM education.
Lillian Fu and Eden Moore were honored for their research at Northwestern University’s Undergraduate Research & Arts Expo, which celebrates the accomplishments and discoveries of undergraduates through poster presentations and curated student panel talks.
More than 75 Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy scholars and alumni are participating in the American Educational Research Association’s annual meeting in Philadelphia April 11 through 14, 2024.
Northwestern University political scientist Quinn Mulroy received The Graduate School’s 2024 Ver Steeg Award for her often behind-the-scenes work supporting graduate students throughout the University, whether she was assigned to formally mentor them or not.
Northwestern University’s Sepehr Vakil and alumnus Victor Lee (PhD08) of Stanford University have been named to a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine consensus committee charged with looking at artificial intelligence and data science in K-12 education.
Student-run groups designed to foster a sense of belonging and solidarity among women in computer science may help boost female participation in the field, according to new Northwestern University research.
Black teachers are less likely to identify same race students as needing special education services, according to new research by Northwestern University alumni Cassandra Hart (PhD11) and Constance Lindsay (PhD10).
White Americans do not support permanent residence (or green cards) for Muslim immigrants – even if they’re white, according to new research coauthored by Northwestern University’s Tabitha Bonilla.
Donald Trump’s enduring appeal stems from the perception--his own and others’--that he is not a person, Northwestern University psychologist Dan P. McAdams wrote in New Lines Magazine. “In the minds of millions, Trump is more than a person,” he wrote. “And he is less than a person too."
Children who have difficult relationships with their peers show increases in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD) disorder as they head into adolescence, according to a new Northwestern University study.
Northwestern University’s Marcelo Worsley has been named a research fellow with the Jacobs Foundation to support his work helping students learn computer science through sports.
Northwestern University researchers received a five-year, $4.5 million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation to study racial equity, STEM education, and school reform in Evanston.
Scholars from the School of Education and Social Policy’s Center for Talent Development received the Mensa Foundation’s Award for Excellence in Research for a study looking at whether interventions designed to help underachieving gifted students actually work.
Five faculty members were named to the 2024 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings for their work bringing research out of academic journals and into everyday lives.
Michelle Yin received a five-year $2.98 million grant from the US Department of Education and the Maine Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to help children with disabilities transition from high school to adult life, independent living, and successful careers.
Researchers are calling on lawmakers to give schools more time and money to implement and expand intensive tutoring, a strategy that could address the massive learning loss created by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The Center for Talent Development (CTD) at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy was recently awarded a 5-year, $600,000 Jacob K. Javits Grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Northwestern University alumni Claire Sampson (MS23) and Rose Taylor (MS22) are the latest School of Education and Social Policy recipients of a five-year fellowship from the Knowles Teacher Initiative.
Whether you’re taking a stance against a bad idea or suggesting a new, innovative one, it can be scary and risky to advocate for workplace changes contrary to the conventional wisdom, Ryan Smerek says in his new book. But if done right, there are significant rewards.
The residents of Evanston, Ill. have no shortage of ideas about how to spend a tidy $3 million sum in federal COVID-19 relief funds. Protected bike lanes? Affordable housing? What about revitalizing the downtown area, improving mental health services, or fixing sidewalks?
An influential White House report on the nation’s economic progress cites research by four Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy faculty members in areas from early education and school funding to college readiness.
A new working paper by School of Education and Social Policy economist Kirabo Jackson found that granting more autonomy to high-quality principals and to principals of schools with atypical needs (like bilingual education or a population of students with special needs) increased student test scores, Mike McShane wrote in Forbes.
Young researchers who spent the summer pounding the pavement and collecting data about assets in their communities in Chicago, New York, and Rocky Mount (NC) will present their research during MAPSCorps’ 15th annual Scientific Symposium on Friday Aug. 4 at Malcolm X College in Chicago.
Researchers explored the meaning of childhood in a tech-infused world during the Association for Computer Machinery’s annual Interaction Design and Children (IDC) Conference at Northwestern University.
Educators, researchers, and curriculum providers gathered at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) for a conference focused on K-12 mathematics instruction.
School-based group counseling programs can significantly reduce post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression among Black and Latina girls, according to new research co-authored SESP economist Jonathan Guryan.
Professor David Rapp and his students hold down an especially lively corner of psychology, one that requires them to mix it up with scholars, scientists, and journalists on a regular basis, Delia O’Hara wrote in a story for the American Psychological Association.
Northwestern University’s James Spillane received a $70,700 Spencer Foundation grant to study how other countries are rebuilding their education systems following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Women who have experienced sexual violence at fraternity parties have often been blamed for what happened to them. But new research on an elite college campus found that it’s becoming less common to fault the victim.
Three years after COVID was labeled a worldwide pandemic, experts are still assessing the impact on kids and debating whether closing schools was a good idea.
Whether the timing is intentional or serendipitous, hearing certain messages at critical moments can offer hope and keep people inspired to work towards their goals, Northwestern University’s Mesmin Destin said during a TEDxChicago talk at the Harris Theater.
A new report co-authored by Northwestern University professor James Spillane explores the benefits of building education systems that develop the “whole” child and use the same rigor and comprehensive care that a parent might invest in their own offspring.
A systematic planning tool called “change mapping” can help analyze whether complex diversity, equity, and inclusion programs or initiatives are working, according to new research by Northwestern University alumna Jue Wu (PhD21).
Working from home may have boosted fertility among college-educated women, according to a new National Bureau of Economic Research working paper co-authored by Northwestern University economist Hannes Schwandt.
Northwestern University researchers and their partners received a $7.5 million grant to develop an innovative research-based science curriculum for elementary school classrooms, supported by professional learning resources for teachers.
One size-fits-all metrics don’t fairly measure what matters most in many schools – a student’s mental health, Northwestern University sociologist Simone Ispa-Landa argues in a recent opinion piece in the Washington Post.
Northwestern University researchers, in partnership with Chicago Public Schools, the Office of the Mayor of Chicago, and the Chicago Department of Family Support and Services, are studying how the recent expansion of universal prekindergarten in Chicago will impact students from lower income backgrounds.
A team of graduate students is examining the impact of new guaranteed income program, a joint initiative between the University and the City of Evanston to address economic insecurity.
Alumna Erica Halverson’s new book “How the Arts Can Save Education” is, strangely enough, not about arts education. Instead, Halverson uses arts practices to fundamentally rethink how “learning” should be measured and to design learning environments and experiences that can serve all kids.
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) should change its structures and policies to better meet changing priorities in education – including improving equity and the usefulness of research, according to a new report whose authors include several Northwestern University faculty members.
Northwestern alumna Erica Halverson (SoC97, PhD05), a leading thinker and researcher on arts education, will discuss the powerful way creative processes can revitalize schools at 4 p.m. on April 13 in Annenberg Hall’s first floor Cycle Center.
Hold back on the bickering. New research co-authored by Northwestern University's Claudia Haase, suggests that couples who share sweet moments filled with humor and affection, and sync up biologically — two hearts beating as one — enjoy better health prospects and live longer than their more quarrelsome counterparts.
Kavita Kapadia Matsko’s research looking at three different ways to consider new teacher readiness for the classroom received the Journal of Teacher Education’s 2022 Article of the Year.
Two papers coauthored by researchers at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) were named to the Edutopia’s “10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2021.”
Journalists often strive to present at least two sides to an issue. But the tendency to appear balanced can backfire when it lends credibility to an idea that most experts consider unmerited, according to new Northwestern University research assessing climate change coverage.
School of Education and Social Policy Professor Eva Lam and her coauthors received the Alan C. Purves Award from the National Council of Teachers of English for their research looking at what happens when young people tell their own immigration stories through documentary filmmaking.
Black Chicagoans who lived near a school that was shuttered during the largest wave of public-school closures in US history became more politically active and held their local officials accountable, according to a new Northwestern University study coauthored by professor Sally Nuamah.
Four School of Education and Social Policy researchers and alums will help address systemic inequities in PreK-12 STEM education as part of an esteemed National Academies’ committee.
Graduate student Addie Shrodes has received a highly competitive American Dissertation Fellowship from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) to support her work looking at how trans and queer teens learn critical digital literacies through everyday activities on social media.
Northwestern University’s Sally Nuamah received the 2021 American Political Science Association, Best Paper on Intersectionality Award, for her work looking at how race and gender stereotypes affect public support for punishing Black girls.
Teachers tend to complain more about Black preschool students and identify their behavior as problematic compared to white students — even though researchers found no differences when the children were observed in a laboratory setting, according to a new Northwestern University study.
Psychologist David Uttal has received four grants worth $1.28 million to study new ways to enhance spatial thinking, the process of looking for patterns in the relationships between objects.
Emma Adam, the Edwina S. Tarry Professor of Human Development and Social Policy in the School of Education and Social Policy has been named associate vice president for research at Northwestern University.
Researchers at Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development have won both Book of the Year and Paper of the Year awards from the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC).
Family education levels predicted how much stress teenagers felt during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study by researchers at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy.
Graduate students Nikki McDaid and Sebastián Kiguel have received highly competitive NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowships to support their research and career development.
Northwestern University professor emeritus Carol Lee, president-elect of the National Academy of Education, has received a prestigious Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education for her outstanding contributions to learning sciences research.
Americans have shorter lives than similarly situated Europeans, even in the richest areas, according to new Northwestern University research coauthored by School of Education and Social Policy professor Hannes Schwandt. At the same time, longevity of Black Americans has been catching up, and the life expectancy gap between Black and white Americans fell by 48.9%.
Illinois is a national model for how to equitably allocate resources during trying times, according to a new report by Northwestern University researchers assessing the response to COVID-19 for child care programs in Illinois.
Northwestern University professors Jen Richards and Miriam Sherin are co-principal investigators on a $700,000 collaborative National Science Foundation Grant that explores how teachers learn from watching video clips of their classroom.
Professor Lois Trautvetter is part of a new cross-disciplinary fellowship program that brings together astrophysicists and social scientists to tackle data from a massive sky survey, according to Northwestern News.
Early childhood policies could be vastly improved by listening to the unexpectedly wise voices of those who stand to benefit: children as young as four years old, according to new Northwestern University research published in Translational Issues in Psychological Science.
Schools should not return to the old “normal,” despite concerns about potential learning loss after a year of disruption, leading education scholars argue in a new report by the Spencer Foundation and the Learning Policy Institute.
A timely new study coauthored by School of Education and Social Policy Dean David Figlio finds that immigrant children and teenagers “could be an unexpected boon for native-born students should they reach American classrooms,” Asher Lehrer-Small wrote in The 74.
Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy students received 2020-21 Academic Year Undergraduate Research Grants (AYURG) to study everything from athletic shoe culture to the impacts of COVID19- and the Black Lives Matter movement on Black-owned businesses.
U.S.-born students with high exposure to immigrants in their schools scored better on math and reading tests than similar students with low exposure to immigrants, according to a working paper co-authored by School of Education and Social Policy Dean David Figlio and published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Northwestern University social psychologist Mesmin Destin, a recent Guggenheim Fellow selection, explores how the presumed “disadvantages” related to students’ backgrounds can carry unrecognized strengths, Kirsten Weir wrote in “Finding Strength in Hardship.”
Northwestern University’s Sepehr Vakil received a $346,000 Spencer Foundation large research grant to study how the cultural, religious, and political context of late 20th century Iran shaped a premiere engineering university in the years leading up to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
More than two dozen School of Education and Social Policy faculty members, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars will present their latest research on a wide range of education issues at the 2021 virtual American Education Research Association annual meeting held April 8 through 12.
Teachers often act as hands-off facilitators in makerspace settings, letting children lead the way. But what happens when they step back too far?
Research partnerships between Universities and school districts need to be mutually beneficial, long term, and thoughtfully structured, Northwestern University researchers said during the annual meeting of the Mindset Scholars Network.
Temple University professor Sara Goldrick-Rab, whose research inspired the documentary film “Hungry to Learn,” urged universities to collect data on hunger and food insecurity among their students in the latest installment of the School of Education and Social Policy's Nancy and Ray Loeschner Leadership Series at Northwestern University.
Being positive predicts less decline in memory during the aging process, according to a new study co-authored by researchers in the Life-Span Development Laboratory, including Claudia Haase, Emily Hittner, and Jacquelyn Stephens.
Stress from COVID-19 — along with stress related to health care, the economy, racism and the presidential election — is seriously threatening the mental health of our country, particularly our youngest generation, according to a new national survey from the American Psychological Association (APA).
Election scholars from across the nation will discuss student voter registration, polling in key states and potential outcomes of the 2020 U.S. Presidential election during a special event open to all Big Ten students and guests.
Sara Goldrick-Rab, whose research inspired the documentary film “Hungry to Learn,” will speak on hunger and food insecurity among college students in the next installment of the School of Education and Social Policy's Nancy and Ray Loeschner Leadership Series.
Young people would be better served by STEM education that teaches them to deal with the moral and ethical complexity of problems like pandemics and climate change, University of Illinois-Chicago and Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy education researchers argued in Truthout.
Five early career researchers – including doctoral students Julissa Muñiz and Cora Wigger – were among the winners of the prestigious 2020 National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Postdoctoral and Dissertation Fellowships Awards.
Pregnant women and their children should fare much better during the COVID-19 pandemic than their counterparts who experienced the 1918 Spanish Influenza, a Northwestern University report suggests.
The amount of economic distress families are facing requires “an urgent and sustained response from the federal government,” according to a new analysis of food insecurity by Northwestern University professor and economist Diane Schanzenbach and research analyst Abigail Pitts.
Recent graduates who are unlucky enough to join the workforce during a recession will likely see a loss in income and negative health effects over their lifetime, Northwestern University economist Hannes Schwandt told political analyst Amy Walter, host of The Takeaway, Fridays.
In his latest book, The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump: A Psychological Reckoning, Dan McAdams asserts that Donald Trump may be the rare person who lacks any inner story, something most people develop to give their lives unity, meaning, and purpose.
Educational investments are most cost-effective when they start early and are sustained throughout childhood, Northwestern University’s Kirabo Jackson said during the Education Policy Institute’s (EPI) Annual Lecture in London’s City Hall.
The rate of antidepressant use among youths under age 20 rose by 21 percent on average in the local communities where fatal school shootings occurred, according to a new study by Northwestern, Stanford, and Yale University researchers.
Almost all high school graduates now attend college, but that doesn’t mean they’re receiving a degree, Northwestern University’s James Rosenbaum told journalists during a two-day Education Writers Association seminar in Chicago that explored gaps between high school and post-secondary education.
Several School of Education and Social Policy faculty members are looking for undergraduate students with no prior experience to help with research projects as part of the Undergraduate Research Assistant Program (URAP).
Individual classrooms within the Head Start program vary in quality and don’t always reflect the school as a whole, according to a new Northwestern University study published in the American Educational Research Journal.
A new study conducted by researchers at Northwestern University and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago is the first to show that diesel cars implicated in the emissions-cheating scandal had population-level impacts on infant and child health.
A straw made from wheatgrass, stormwater ice cream, and a food waste prevention app were just some the solutions Evanston sixth graders devised to address climate change as part of the first citywide project-based learning showcase.
Emma Adam, one of the world’s leading researchers on stress, race, and sleep, will discuss Sleep Equity: Good Sleep as a Resource (and a Right?) during the One SESP Graduate Student Dinner and Discussion.
The bad luck of leaving school during hard economic times can lead to higher rates of early death and permanent differences in life circumstances, Northwestern University’s Hannes Schwandt wrote in a policy brief.
Computer science classes and boot camps have never been more popular. But how can we help the next generation of students feel empowered by this technology? And how can that education reach everyone – not just those who are drawn to the traditional notions of computer science?
Distinguished leaders and rising stars in computer science and learning sciences will explore the challenges and opportunities facing the field of education during the first annual symposium on computing and learning April 28- 30 at Northwestern University.
James Rosenbaum’s ability to cultivate talented researchers and his passion for tackling pressing social issues recently earned him the Elizabeth G. Cohen Distinguished Career in Applied Sociology of Education Award from the American Education Research Association.
Colleges and universities that invest in gender parity ultimately help support women pursuing careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), according to a new book co-authored by Northwestern University’s Lois Trautvetter.
While working as an eighth-grade math teacher, Andrea Kinghorn Busby saw how her students’ lives outside school intersected with their classroom experiences.
Rising economic inequality makes people less likely to believe that upward mobility is possible, shaping both their motivation and behavior, according to a research review published in the journal Nature Human Behavior.
An earlier bedtime may help teenagers by improving executive functioning abilities like memory, self-control, and problem solving, according to preliminary Northwestern University research.
The promise of change guides Terri Sabol’s thinking—and rethinking—of early childhood education issues. She examines how classrooms, families, and neighborhoods each play a role in a child’s development.
Initiative overload. It’s a condition many employees experience when senior leaders launch too many major projects.
Northwestern University psychologist Mesmin Destin, whose research emphasizes the key role socioeconomic status plays in the study of human behavior, was recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA) for his stellar work in the early stages of his career.